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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

AITCH AND DIZZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BLW HELP!

34 replies

NbgsYellowFeathers · 24/02/2007 14:25

Right today I have had to resign myself to the fact that I have to do BLW for no other reason than thats what ds wants
He will not be fed off a spoon, he just clamps his mouth shut and turns his head. So to me thats a good signal that he doesn't want it.

My concern is that he's 6 months now and with the bits of BLW I have tried, its not very successful. Obviously I'm not expecting him to eat all of the food but just something but atm he has none of it.
He's very happy shoving it in his mouth and chomping on it but it all seems to come out again.
Is this quite normal and ok to carry on with? Will he eventually get enough food in that he needs?

So far I have tried him with Brocoli, Carrot, Chicken, Mango, Avocado and cucumber.
I'm not pancking, honest

OP posts:
NbgsYellowFeathers · 24/02/2007 14:39

dont tell me your having the weekend off!

OP posts:
lulumama · 24/02/2007 14:42

DON'T PANICCCCCCCCC!!!!!!

OK, remember, BLW is not about cramming mouthfuls of food in ! milk is still and will be his main source of nutrition for quite some time yet....this is about tastes of food, and holding it and nibbling....

same with puree....for every mouthful that goes in, most comes back out...remember all that scraping of the chin with the spoon??

so yes, eventually he will eat decent amounts of food. in the interim, while milk is still the main source of food, don;t worry !

NbgsYellowFeathers · 24/02/2007 14:44

are you suuuuuuure

Why do I feel like I should be giving him 3 meals a day.
I just simply cannot spoon feed him at all and I really dont want to force the issue and end up with a child with food ishooooos.

OP posts:
lulumama · 24/02/2007 14:44

the BLW blog...nice recipes and reassurance here !

lulumama · 24/02/2007 14:44

you would not be giving him 3 meals a day if you were weaning at 6 months on puree! relaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxx!!

lulumama · 24/02/2007 14:45

no, we don;t want ishoooooooos

NbgsYellowFeathers · 24/02/2007 14:45

I have it in my favourites lulu

Have to go out now but will check back later.
Thanks for replying lulu.

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oops · 24/02/2007 15:02

Message withdrawn

NbgsYellowFeathers · 24/02/2007 19:55

thats quite reassuring oops, thank you

I gave him some duck and a pear tonight which he had a good munch on but got a bit frustrated with the slipperyness of the pear

Should I offer him food morning, lunch and evening or do it gradual?
I have been doing odd bits here and there but dont want to over face him.

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PigeonPie · 24/02/2007 20:05

Well, I started with lunch when he generally (unless he slept) 'ate' with me; then I introduced supper and finally breakfast, after a couple of months. I had exactly the same experience as Oops and now DS is 15 months and often eating more than my six year old niece!

Just keep offering it and he'll get it eventually.

And remember Aitch's mantra 'food is for fun until you're one'.

NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 08:26

I'll keep repeating the mantra then. It might chill me out a bit when he's shoving brocoli in his ears.

So am I right in just putting bits of food in front of him and just letting him do whatever?

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NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 08:43

Btw, I have just been pmsl at your bit on sushi and plums
Very funny!

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NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 09:46

bumping

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DizzyBint · 25/02/2007 10:06

hellloooooooo! was working last night so only just catching up.

ok calm down first of all. there is really no rush. all you need to do is keep up with the milk as normal, and offer food whenever. when you eat lunch, give him a pear. when you have tea, give him some broccolli. when you have breakfast give him some toast (assuming you aren't avoiding wheat). then see how he goes and start giving broccolli with carrots, or toast with cheese, or whatever!

a lot of weaning plans assume a baby starts from about 4 months, so the first few weeks are very cautious (because in fact the baby is probably not yet ready to be on solids) but by waiting for 6 months and doing it blw style, you don't have to be as cautious (assuming no family allergies). gill rapley even goes as far as to say, in her study, that babies will naturally avoid foods that won't agree with them if you let them pick and choose what they eat. they also will tend to go for brighter and more colourful foods, from what i've seen (lots to be said for the merits of a 'rainbow' diet, best foods are most colourful, stodgy foods are usually beige and not as good for you).

so..by all means start slowly, one veg/fruit at a time, but you don't really need to. give a couple of things, see what happens. i would say the first 2 weeks i stuck to just fruit and veg, then i introduced bread and pasta, then by 7 months i'd introduced dairy and protein.

she's now 9 months old and tucks into anything and everything. lasagne is her favourite at the moment..also baked salmon with broccoli and new potatoes.

littlelapin · 25/02/2007 10:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 10:10

Right thanks
Interesting what you said about the bright coloured foods and dull foods.
I was going to try him with some Cheese today. Would that be a no?

And foods that "normally" require a spoon, what do you do?
Say if I wanted to give him some yoghurt, how would I do that?

OP posts:
NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 10:14

His nappies are pretty much the same tbh. I havent noticed any food in it or changes in colour yet

I'm quie reassured in that in way this is ds's decision to do this. He has made his point very clear that he doesn't want to be spoon fed, but is quite happy to feed himself. On the occasions I have spoon fed him, he just takes the spoon off me.

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DizzyBint · 25/02/2007 10:15

yes try him with cheese. he is over 6 months yes? what you'll probably notice is that given a plate of pasta with carrots and corgette, the pasta will be left til last, or pocked at, while the bright veg is taken first..far more attractive. also i've noticed if courgette is given flesh side up (i do it in long batons) dd takes less of it than if it is skin side up (bright green!).

with sloppy food i tend to make it thicker (ie weetabix/ready brek/porridge) or i pour it on bread or toast (ie soup, baked beans, houmous etc) or i pour it on fruit (ie YOGHURT). then dd will pick up the fruit and so pick up the yoghurt. i do sometimes get 2 spoons, give her one, i load the other one, then she grabs that one, then i take her empty one and load that one. she will make a bold attempt to spoon feed herself, but usually it just goes all down her as she takes the wrong end of the spoon in her mouth or just throws it around. it's fun for her though!

NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 10:20

Yes he's just 6 months.
I have been reading your blog, honest

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littlelapin · 25/02/2007 10:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DizzyBint · 25/02/2007 10:22

i think the main thing to get over is not to obsess about the amounts they're eating at first. it is hard in the face of people following 'other' weaning plans who are building up amounts, going from teaspoons to ice cubes etc, dropping an ounce of milk here and there.

DizzyBint · 25/02/2007 10:23

got to go now..house to clean. will be back on tonight so let us know how today goes! have fun!

NbgsYellowFeathers · 25/02/2007 10:47

Yes thats exactly it Dizzy. Thats why i was becoming concerned.

I'll report back later

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fangitis · 25/02/2007 18:14

i used to just put the ypgurt in fromt of him. messy messy messy, but fun
he ate it off his fingers!

fangitis · 25/02/2007 18:18

lloks a bit feral., but he used to eat what he wanted/needed and now still does. He is 18months old and eats brilliantly. some days he hardly eats anything, and other days he eats tone. He will ty anything, and is very happy to meat whatever the family is having.

I always said it is a slacker's way to wean, none of the piddling around with purees etc
and you get to sit and eat with them, not needing to encourage etc, so no stress at all with the food